If the UFC brass calls, Diego Sanchez is ready for his lightweight title shot

LAS VEGAS – Even before his already epic fight with Clay Guida at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale, Diego Sanchez stumped for a lightweight title shot and declared himself the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds.

And now, following Saturday’s main event victory at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Sanchez hasn’t wavered in his belief.

With his split-decision win over Guida, a bout that earned both competitors $25,000 “Fight of the Night” awards, Sanchez said his future is in the hands of the UFC brass. And if UFC President Dana White declares Sanchez title worthy, “Nightmare” is ready for the task at hand.

“That was my 15th fight here in the octagon,” said Sanchez, who dominated his first round with Guida before hanging on for the decision victory. “Aside from the (Josh) Koscheck and (Jon) Fitch fight, which [was] a split decision (loss), I’ve paid my dues here in the UFC. I just feel [the title shot] is up to (UFC CEO) Lorenzo (Fertitta) and Dana and the UFC. If they feel I’ll bring an exciting and entertaining fight they want for a title fight, then they can put me in there. That’s their decision and their call, and I respect their judgment.

“But I do feel like I’m the No. 1 contender. I always have.”

Sanchez (21-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who won the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” as a middleweight, then dominated the UFC’s welterweight division with five consecutive wins before the back-to-back losses to Koscheck and Fitch in 2007. The loss to Koscheck at UFC 69 was more than excusable as Sanchez fought through a nasty staph infection that greatly curtailed his explosiveness and power. White even hinted that he was set to announce Sanchez’s retirement from the sport on the eve of UFC 69 because doctors originally misdiagnosed the infection and though his ailment might be life-threatening.

Despite his battle with the infection, Sanchez returned just five months later with both his physical and mental health shaken. He hung tough with Fitch at UFC 76 but dropped a split decision to the then-top contender.

It’d be another half year before Sanchez returned to the cage for a dominant first-round stoppage of David Bielkheden at UFC 82. And after a subsequent TKO of Luigi Fioravanti a year ago today, Sanchez opted to make the drop to 155 pounds.

He was tested immediately and pitted against Joe Stevenson in the UFC 95 main event earlier this year. Stevenson had suffered a bloody submission loss to Kenny Florian three months earlier in a No. 1 contenders fight, but Stevenson remained one of the lightweight division’s most accomplished fighters. Sanchez, though, earned the decision victory with ease and swept the scorecards.

Then came the victory over Guida.

“I’m thankful that I get these two experiences before I go for the big one,” Sanchez said of the two lightweight fights. “If they do decide to put me in there next line as the top contender, I’ll give it everything I have.”

Sanchez is looking for a fight with UFC lightweight champ B.J. Penn or top contender Kenny Florian, who headline UFC 101 in August.

His confidence is sky high following the Guida victory, but he admits the scrappy Midwesterner tested his resolve in the first round. Sanchez continually battered his opponent with punches, a head kick that floored Guida and enough ground and pound to open streams of blood from his nose and mouth just a couple minutes into the fight. Sanchez kept kicking, but Guida kept on ticking.

“I hit him with some knees, some kicks, some uppercuts that were right on the button,” Sanchez said. “And he just kept on coming. It wasn’t discouraging, but I was like, ‘Whoa, I need to catch my breath. I’ve got to let the blood come back to my arms. Let me take a second here.’ The guy is known for his conditioning, and he came prepared. I came prepared too, but I wasn’t prepared for him to survive the onslaught I put on him in the first round.”

Still, he had no doubt about the fight’s outcome, even on a night with its fair share of peculiar judges’ decisions.

“I knew I won the fight,” he said.

Now, Sanchez simply waits with a close eye on the Aug. 8 Penn vs. Florian fight.

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